Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

Phoenix

Aug. 5

Arizona Republic on if Obama wants to help Arizona, he should look to Mexico:

President Obama: Welcome to Arizona. Now look south.

We mean Mexico. And we don’t mean problems.

The theme of Obama’s speech today is housing, and this is a perfect place to deliver it. The housing collapse is one of two big national issues that whacked our state harder than most.

The other is illegal immigration.

Obama will likely link the two, which could give a welcome boost to proposals for comprehensive immigration reform. A White House report says legalizing the current undocumented population would increase demand and help the housing market.

Comprehensive immigration reform is so important that the president should not miss this opportunity to give it a plug.

But there’s another opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

The president should use this visit to Arizona to talk about revving up an economic engine that’s been quietly purring along for years: trade with Mexico, ... the United States’ second largest export market and third biggest trading partner.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, trade between the United States and Mexico was up 7 percent last year over 2011. The total for goods was $494 billion in 2012, with another $39 billion in services. ...

Mexico’s economy is growing at a healthy rate and its young population has a taste for American goods. ... What’s more, as wages in China rise, Mexico is becoming more attractive to manufacturing.

Seoul, South Korea

Aug. 6

The Korea Herald on Samsung and Apple should end patent war:

Will Samsung Electronics be able to turn the tables on Apple Inc. even after the U.S. government’s unexpected overruling of a sales ban on some older iPhone models in the American market?

That’s the question being raised as Samsung continues its legal battle against Apple. The world’s No. 1 smartphone maker disclosed Monday that it has submitted an appeal against a June ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission that Apple was not violating some of its patents.

In June, the ITC did rule that Apple infringed upon one Samsung patent and issued an order prohibiting the American tech giant from bringing in some of its devices manufactured in China. But the commission dismissed Samsung’s claim that Apple also violated three other Samsung patents.

Samsung has chosen to appeal the ITC decision to a U.S. federal court of appeals. If the court rules in favor of the Korean company, the ITC will have to go over the case.

Samsung’s announcement came following the U.S. Trade Representative’s surprise decision last week to veto the ITC’s import ban on Apple products from China. ...

Samsung’s more immediate concern is the imminent ITC ruling on Apple’s complaints filed against its Korean rival. If the commission rules in Apple’s favor, Samsung will be prohibited from selling some of its older products in the U.S. But this is unlikely to deal a serious blow to Samsung.

The USTR’s intervention is widely seen as an unwarranted move aimed at protecting Apple. Yet it strongly suggests that it is time for the two tech powerhouses to stop their meaningless and highly costly patent war. It is increasingly clear that neither can emerge triumphant.